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Militants use 82-mm and 120-mm mortars nine times in Donetsk sector over last day – Colonel Motuzyanyk

Kyiv, February 11, 2016.It was calm in ATO’s Luhansk sector over the last day. Situation in the Donetsk sector remains tense, thus militants used 82-mm and 120-mm mortars nine times. “Adversary does not cease attacks all along the contact line between Troyitske and Pisky. Zaitseve and Mayorsk remain spots of most fierce combat actions. According to the statistics militants get active in the second half of the day and conduct highest number of attacks upon positions of ATO forces in the evening,” said Colonel Oleksandr Motuzyanyk, spokesman of Presidential Administration on ATO-related issues speaking at a press briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

In the Mariupol sector heavy weapons were not used, however militants violated ceasefire in several parts of the front. “Adversary is mostly getting active in the dark time of the day, fires from small arms and grenade launchers. Hostile provocations were registered in the area of Maryinka, Starohnativka and Shyrokyne,” noted Colonel Motuzyanyk. He also added that a militant subversive group was trying to get to the Ukraine-controlled territory near “Maryinka” control checkpoint. Ukrainian troops who were standing guard at the checkpoint spotted the group in time. “Ukrainian troops fired warning shots and the five subversives of illegal militant groups stepped back to the east,” said ATO spokesman. He added that the control point was not operating for 20 minutes due to the incident.

Three flights of enemy unmanned aerial vehicles were registered in ATO zone over the last day: one near Zolote, Luhansk region, other two in the area of Mariupol and Sartana. “One Ukrainian serviceman was killed over the last day, three were wounded,” said Colonel Motuzyanyk.

As per intelligence information the self-proclaimed authorities plan introducing “conscription” in the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” (“DPR”) in order to resolve the problem of under-staffing within the militant units. “Persons who were earlier serving within Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are to be conscripted. Conscription can be avoided only based on health conditions or by giving a bribe (varying from USD 2000 to 3500). To prevent the attempts to avoid “conscription” occupational administration banned men aged 18-65 from exit through the contact line or to Russia unless a special permission is issued by the militant group “Security Ministry of the ‘DPR’”. Assets forfeiture and imprisonment is what those who will not fulfill this condition are facing,” said Colonel Motuzyanyk.

Law enforcement staff detained a former “DPR” militant. “The man in question was defending the illegal checkpoint set up on entry to Druzhkivka and was distributing weapons to other militant group members,” noted the ATO spokesman. Ten detonators were seized from a local school in Kurakhove. “To remind each detonator contains a dangerous substance that easily explodes if scrubbed, heated or hit,” emphasized Colonel Motuzyanyk. Another weapons cache was discovered in Dnipropetrovsk. “Three RGD-5 grenades with fuzes and 1kg of TNT were seized from a cache by the road,” noted ATO spokesman.

Colonel Motuzyanyk also said that military psychologists and volunteers held a three-day long training session for National Guard servicemen who are to be demobilized soon, it was set to prepare them for peaceful life.

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Mustafa Nayem, Member of Parliament of Ukraine (Faction "Petro Poroshenko Bloc")
Volodymyr Petrakovskyi, Advisor to the StateWatch expert organization, member of the Scientific Advisory Board under the State Bureau of Investigation
Kateryna Butko, activist of the All-Ukrainian NGO "Avtomaidan", PROSUD Project Coordinator

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